Softly tart; young plums drawing out to a metallic, bland middle and leafy, very subdued sour finish. Malt pops through late. Thin body, a bit watery with mild carbonation, but refreshing. Reminiscent of Welch's grape juice, tart but sweet at the same time...

A passive beer and a recommended starter to the Flanders style, easy to drink...wouldn't mind seeing it on tap or at a more reasonable price, but certainly not exceptional.

Reviewed live at low altitude in Austin, TX. Side-poured with standard vigor as no carbonation issues are anticipated.

Vintage: This is a blend of 20-30 month old Aged Pale and a second fresh brew.
ABV: 5.5%
Style: Oddly, the label description calls this a Flanders Red Ale (even though the name is obviously Oud Bruin). I'll decide which style to review as as I drink.
Serving temp: Cold. Allowed to warm over the course of consumption.
Serving vessel: Goblet.
Expectations: High (given the brewery).

No bubble show forms as it's poured.

HEAD: 1 finger wide. Off-white. Fair creaminess and thickness. Light lacing sticks to the sides of the glass as the head recedes.

Retention: ~2 minutes. Average.

BODY: Deep dark amber. Not vibrant, but it has a glow when backlit. No yeast or sediment can be seen.

Looks pretty average for a Flanders Red, albeit a bit dark.

AROMA: Lightly tart, with hints of cherry and faint acetic pie crust. Has a kiss of vinegar. Faint oak (more a foeder than barrel presence) guides the beer and lends it natural cohesion. Belgian character is lent by the Belgian yeast, with fruity and lightly sour notes filling it out nicely. Sourness is timid and mild - maybe a 3/10 in terms of intensity. This certainly doesn't suggest a puckering brew, and its relative sweetness indicates its youth. The rawness of the cherry is nice, but a more refined fruit profile and more acetic aroma would be ideal, as would more sourness.

Aromatic intensity: average.

This definitely evokes more a Flanders Red than an Oud Bruin.

TASTE: The faint acetic character is nice, but it doesn't fully commit to the pie crust like it should, and the cherry fruit is too sweet and young; more tartness and sourness would be better. The oak is too timid and weak, but does lend the beer cohesion. Slightly vinegary. Belgian red malts and a kiss of candi sugar provide the odd malt backbone, which feels too sweet for a Flanders Red (or an Oud Bruin, for that matter). The yeast just hasn't taken hold like it should, and the beer isn't sour or tart enough as a result. Sourness is a scant 2-3/10 in terms of intensity; hardly puckerworthy.

It's not egregiously flawed, but it could and should be so much deeper and more intricate. As-is, it's a balanced cohesive brew, but is reserved and doesn't commit to its flavours. The yeast and bacteria should shine, but they don't have control of the beer.

TEXTURE: Acidity is typical of the style, which is to say it's above average. Smooth, wet, medium-bodied, aptly thick, aptly hefty, and aptly weighty on the palate. Critically, it's not puckering as it should be, and lacks tartness. Well-carbonated.

Not oily, gushed, hot, boozy, astringent, harsh, rough, or scratchy.

This texture fails to accentuate the best notes in the flavour profile - the sourness. As a result, the mouthfeel lags behind the taste in terms of playing to the beer's strengths. Execution is wanting as a result.

OVERALL: This is enjoyable, and will likely get better with age (say, 5 years), but it's just not as rich or well-layered as other traditional Belgian offerings. The discerning drinker will be better served by sticking with Rodenbach, Duchesse de Bourgogne, or Cuvee Des Jacobins Rouge. This is the lesser of the widely distributed classic Flanders Red Ales, and will please fans of the style but won't impress. I'd much sooner take Petrus' other offerings over this, and I think the blend has incorporated far too much of the younger beer. That said, it's highly drinkable, would pair well with salad, and would make a good first sour beer for a newcomer to the category.

Taste: again with the Petrus beers it seems that the nose is the highlight and the taste leaves much to be desired. The taste maintained it's cherry & woody characteristics but they were sverley toned down on the palate and faded much too quickly. A dry and woody finish which was most pleasant.

Petrus Oud Bruin pours out with deep and rich, woody brown color; it looks nearly black from afar once it makes it into the glass, and it exhausts a beautiful ruby shade when held in front of the light. The grey-ish, beige-ish head settles to less than a quarter-inch within a few moments; some good amounts of lacing outlines the glass where the beer used to be.

Must is the largest and most prominent thing in the aroma; dirty, earthy must with a substantial amount of woody funk. Dry oak is complimented by just a small hint of acetic tartness; faint lemon, vanilla barrel notes, and a mild kiss of cherry skins. People expecting a highly sour and saliva-pumping aroma will be disappointed - it's much heavier on the oaky, musk aroma.

Following through with that notion, the tartness is low on the palate as well, although there is a very mild acidic-like astringency that kind of bites the back of the tongue. Now imagine ripping a floorboard straight from an abandoned barn and taking a lick; lots of dirty funk, heavy oak, heavy must, and a touch of hay.

The more I drink, the more this beer starts tasting like a Belgian dubbel with the accompaniment of a very mild tartness. Fruit notes get larger and larger; sweet plums, heavy grapes, vinous and wine-like stone fruits. Even some additional nutty and cocoa powder hints on the very back-end, inside of a finish that's dominated with plenty of dry oak. Thin-medium body with subtle carbonation and a smooth, soft mouth feel.

Those who buy this beer expecting a tart or sour ale like the Petrus Aged Pale will be slightly disappointed, as this beer both more dry and sweet than tart, really. It really reminded me of a dubbel with some vinous additions an a touch of astringent tartness. Drinkable due to overall low acidity, but there are better shelf things you can probably grab for this style.

A: A deep copper with excellent clarity. The long lasting, medium-tan head is comprised of fine bubble and leaves lacing on the glass.

S: The aroma is mainly a moderate tart/sour aroma with some fruit, mostly dried cherries. There is a sweet aroma giving a Smarties type impression with the fruit and tart aroma. No hops, no malt, no diacetyl. Light notes of chocolate come it warms.

T: This has a nicely balanced sweet-tart flavor with a tartness being slightly stronger than the sweetness. There is little hops bitterness and no flavor. The fruit flavors are mostly tart cherry. There is some light spicy and vanilla flavors.

M: Medium bodied with moderately-high carbonation. Somewhat smooth.

O: This is a great, balanced sour beer. It not to sour and is great a example to introduce wine drinkers to a complex, flavorful beer.

Several inches of khaki head falls slooow into an opaque molasses beer and leaves intricate lacing. Aromas are nuts, berries, and brown sugar.

Tase is a light medley vinous fruit, cherry cordial, and green apple all pulled down by darker fruit tastes, slight anise, and a taste that sort of reminds me of finnel. Despite the flavors described this is a very light, smooth, easy drinking beer. Mouthfeel is slick but light. I feel like having this beer without pairing it with some crazy food was a waste. It is a great one for the table, complex but easy-going.

T: pretty soft and coating, light malt, some barely tart fruit and a tiny bit of sugar up front. herbal, tea like qualities mid palate as the acidity pulls through. more pronounced cherries. finish dries a bit but I have to admit this falls a little flat even before the swallow can be completed. theres a decent level of complexity and interest here but I dont think it follows through. crisp and refreshing, the acidity is light enough to be very versatile.

M: eh. its okay. a little on the soft and weak end. this beer should have plenty of life left in its bottle but already seems to be getting tired.

D: interesting. enjoyable. worth a shot for sure...dont know about much after that.

It pours a deep rich looking brown with a tight creamy looking head that sticks around for a little bit. Potent crimson highlight can be seen when held up to a light.

The nose is of light candied cherries with just a little lactic bite. A little bit of vinous and dirt is also there.

The flavor starts off with some candied cherries but not nearly at a level of beers like the Duchesse. It then gets nice and creamy with some dirt like Brett notes and then finishes with a light lactic finish combined with some malt sweetness.

Mouthfeel is medium full with a nice creaminess that isn't overbearing. A lower carbonation level also probably adds to the perceived creaminess. Drinkability is decent but I prefer a more sharp bite at the end in my Flanders beer to make it more drinkable.

Overall this is another pretty good easily found and affordable Flanders but lacks a little special something to make it great.

Dark mahogany pour with a tiny bubbly head that quickly forms a ring around the glass. Spotty lacing....not much to look at in the glass really. Sour cherries waft up into my nose upon first smell. Some earthy yeast and woody tones pop in along with a vinous quality and dark fruits. Quite lovely.

Sweet and sour cherry notes fight back and forth against one another in sublime fashion. Woody background that leaves a dry finish on the way down. Earty yeast twang works its way in and out of each sip. Fruity and vinous...slightly acidic with a hint of cocoa. A very enjoyable experience.

Mouthfeel is rather thin and crisp. Rolls over the palate nicely with good carbonation. This 8.4oz bottle is a tease...I could easily go for a 750 of this stuff. Incredibly drinkable and tasty. I will be seeking this one out again. Recommended.

I had this beer after enjoying an Earthmonk. This one, while still a good beer, pales in comparison. It was served in an oversize wine glass. Medium brown in color with a small light brown head that left a little bit of lacing. Aroma was mostly dark fruit with a little bit of malt. I seemed to taste mostly cherries and caramel. Medium-bodied and pleasant.

Happy to get to sample this brew on tap at the Collins bar in NYC. Pours dark brown, with ruby hues on the edges. The nose was quite malty, with also a hint of must. Carboantion seems low, with a very slight head developed and limited lacing. Malt sweetness up front initially, then mid way lactic sourness picked up. Also a hint of cherry and vanilla. Not much yeast or hops characteristics involved in the mix. Basically a malty belgian with a sour undertone. Eh, not really for me, I'd classify this one as a middle of the road Belgian, worth a try but not of much more interest.

Drinkability: This beer is now in my top 10. I love the sourness combined with the woodiness. I have not had anything that tastes like this before. This is my favorite sour beer post my Eulogy trip to Philadelphia. The low abv means I could have several.